Inner Circle Arc - Chapter One
It was a quiet day, the sun nearly set. A young woman sat on a rooftop as a wind blew past. She caught a leaf that was being carried with it, and opened her palm. The leaf was cut. A bad omen indeed, and just as it was time for the operation to begin again. A new group was mobilizing, and in her bid to keep the Soul Society was sending Second Company after her, she was trying to prove she was not a threat. Eradicating this new group was a good way to start things off. She jumped off the roof, before running across mid-air, gathering reishi under her feet to create a small platform. She was receiving a faint "ping" in her head. Something (or somethings) Hollow-like were in the nearby area. They weren't Hollows themselves, but she could feel something there. Perhaps this was it? "--'m no fan of the guys, but they certainly have talent, the way they're going. You ever listen to The Trooper? Cover song, but I listen to it more than I do the original." "I'm still surprised at how versatile the string instrument can actually be when you look at it. First there was the bizarre, then there was the romance, and finally back to modern times...." "Wait a minute, what? Ok, now you've completely lost me." Within that particular area, two figures were steadily engaging in a conversation behind the back alleyways of a closed building. One figure was a dark-skinned man with long hair wrapped up in a ponytail, a white light coat with one of the sleeves non-existent, black pants, and matching color boots. He was currently leaning against the wall of the nearby building. The other looked younger, with a black and white hoodie with the colors shaped into unique designs. He also sported gray-black pants and Adidas-style black tennis shoes. He had his hands in his pockets, occasionally pacing around. Clearly, they were both waiting for someone, and the conversation was meant to fill in the space of boredom. The woman seemed to be getting close to her target, as the pinging was becoming less faint, but still wasn't as audible as it would have been with a Hollow, which made her wonder what she was heading to. Now that she was getting closer, she could feel there were two signal she was picking up. She frowned, but she didn't have time to think about it, as she soon noticed two people standing on the ground, and the pinging what at it's loudest. She drowned it out, descending and landing easily right in front of them. She was very surprised. "These look like Humans..." She thought. "How could my senses have been detecting Hollows when I am face to face with two humans?" This was an action unexpected from both of the males who had been speaking, their conversation promptly interrupted by the sudden appearance of the girl. Immediately, the hooded younger man turned his head towards the girl, eyes widening clearly in surprise. He involuntarily took a step back, clearly more startled compared to the rather composed companion leaning against the wall beside him. He cocked an eyebrow slightly, mouth opening slightly. "Uh....?" His hands motioned in a discreet shrugging motion, as he waited for her to do something else. She walked over to them, leaning in towards each of them, looking at them closely. "You look Human enough." She murmured. She breathed in. "But the scent of your souls is tainted by that of Hollows." She frowned. "Unappealing for the stomach." "Ok, what gives?" For the youth, annoyance was beginning to set in at her actions. Raising one hand, he grasped her shoulder and moved her back in the distance away from him, lowering his hand once he stretched his arm length out. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared with a mixture of confusion, irritation, and slight curiosity. "I'd like to know who you are, or at least you do you think you are, just coming in and randomly sniffing at people like that. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to just talk to strangers so carelessly?" As he continued to speak, the other figure pushed himself off of the wall. He reached into his pocket, taking out a slender, flat casing. Popping it up, he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter, igniting the spark and setting the appropriate end ablaze before stuffing the lighter back in his pocket. Kyoko smirked for a moment, chuckling. "Mother knew I could take care of myself, she was more concerned with strangers talking to me." She placed a hand on her head. "So tell you, what are you two? I was picking up traces of Hollows...and it led me to two Humans." "Lady...." The youth took on a warning tone, clearly not pleased with her intrusions. "I don't take kindly ''to people who just walk up and demand information about me. Now you can either get back, or I can ''force ''you back. Your choice!" For emphasis, he placed one hand within his pocket and whipped out a butterfly knife, flipping it out and exposing the sharp blade. "You could ''try." Kyoko replied as if she thought it would be the most amusing thing in the world. These weren't normal Humans, killing them wouldn't get her in trouble with the Soul Society. She hoped. "I came here tracking Hollows and instead I find you, it's only natural I'd be curious about my prey." The older man simply took in the scene in front of him, continuing to remain silent as he blew out a puff of smoke that he had inhaled from the cigarette. It was clear that the woman in front of him was spiritually aware, but it was from the way that she spoke that made him understand that she was somewhat affiliated to the Soul Society. Was she a mercenary, someone who killed for the sake of money? She chose an unorthodox way to approach targets, but if she deemed them to be her "prey", then it was obvious she was not here to be friendly. The boy thought along the same lines. He let out a slight growl, and he brandished the knife towards her threateningly, taking a few steps back. "That's what you think, is it?" He questioned her, eyes narrowed and a scowl on his face. "Then try me, and just give me an excuse to cut off those sag bags off your chest!" There was an oddity in the way he was positioning himself as he threatened the woman, his knife hand set as if it was holding a katana. His stance also seemed to give off the aura of a swordsman's. "I can't believe how rude young people are nowadays." She sighed. "All you really need to do is answer my question and we can end this without any real need for a fight. You look Human, but you reek of Hollow. It's obvious you're not like me, so what are you? Answer the question, it's as simple as that. If you still want to fight, then it seems I'll be eating for the first time in over half a century." The response caused him to break his stance, lowering his butterfly knife and flipping it shut upon seeing that she wasn't going to attack him. "You're honestly expecting me to just hand out information to you as if I'm required to do so?" He asked, his irritation making its way up to the vocal surface. "Maybe I just don't feel like telling a complete stranger about myself, particularly one who decides to just jump in a conversation whenever they feel like it. So unless you're here for something actually important, how about you go on your way?" Maybe she'd kill them just for irritating her. She inhaled deeply, activating the Gonzui technique with the aim to suck out their souls. Tainted by Hollow as they were, these would still taste delicious for being the first souls she'd devoured in years. She'd never tried it on humans like these, she didn't know what to expect. It was at that moment the boy saw what she was up to. In such situations, he was able to catch on to what his opponent was about to do before he or she could initiate their tactic. In the way that she had gone about her way, it was far too obvious for him to see. Within an instant, he had disappeared and re-appeared in front of her with a flash of light, his free hand clasped onto her mouth and neutralizing the Gonzui ''technique. Knowing that she would be quick to react to the attack, he had already flipped his blade out, following his grapple with a swing that would slice through her throat. The elder said only one thing. "And they go...." The blade did connect, but it simply scraped on the skin as it moved, not cutting at all, which allowed Kyoko to make a leap back. She frowned. Her skin may be far more durable than a Humans, but her Human side still made her easier to damage. The real problem however was the speed he moved. And the technique he'd used to obtain it. It was time to fight. A shadow enveloped the boy as a giant arm materialized over him. It slammed downward. "!!!!!" The boy's expression immediately turned to one of surprise, and he was forced to move out of the way with his enhanced speed. The giant arm slammed into the ground, shaking the ground as it broke into the concrete and earth. He skidded back, settling into a stance once again. "In that case.... it seems that I don't have to hold back on you." He commented, taking in a deep breath. With a flick of his wrist, he flipped the balisong again, only to have it immediately shift itself. Within a millisecond, it had turned from a simple knife to a uniquely shaped katana, which he was now leveling at the girl. Then, he charged once more in order to attack her with the blade, moving in to close the distance and strike. This time, she was prepared, summoning another arm which appeared in front of her and swung forward, propelling like a fist-missile towards him. "Hold still!!!" The boy snapped, immediately vanishing once again with the technique of the "light-speed" technique. He re-appeared in mid-air, in the middle of a descending front-flip towards the girl. The blade moved in a vertical path as it was swung towards her head, similar to that of a kendo strike. The pinging started to resume, which Kyoko decided to use to her advantage now, instead of bothering to feel for his reiatsu, she'd use the pinging to determine his location. She vanished with her own technique, Sónido, appearing a foot away. The two arms she'd generated loomed over the boy, and a Hollow Head complete with mask soon formed. The arms hands opened wide as did the mouth of the mask. "Cero." As she spoke the words, a light blue, whirling Cero was released from all three floating body parts, aimed straight at the boy. ''"She's awfully desperate to keep her distance away from me...." Her enemy frowned, clearly disliking the idea of having to engage an enemy who constantly retreated. His eyes fell onto the beast that had now materialized over him. Immediately, he was forced to take a position and vanish once more''.'' The Cero, unhindered in their path, collided with the ground and exploded in a blaze of her brilliant light, considerable damage done to the area around them. But, thanks to close reflexes, both men had taken to the air in order to avoid getting killed by the blast. As he hovered over the area, the youth used his eyes to sweep the area. "She's not equipped with a sword of her own, sticking to long range attacks. She's probably keeping that distance in order to keep me from exploiting her weakness. If I move quickly enough, she won't have the chance to counter me." ''He thought to himself, reaching with his free finger to scratch underneath his nose. ''"By the looks of things, it seems like she needs concentration on that thing in order to fight. If I hit her up close, the summon will dissolve." ''A small grin crawled across his face as he settled into a comfortable one-handed stance once more. She frowned. The pinging was like a voice whispering where the boy was and she could easily track him now. The problem was his speed. Fighting at long distance was merely giving him a chance to show that speed off. She needed to get in close, and use powerful moves as soon as she reached him. She reached towards her sides for a moment. ''"No...not yet." She began to focus on the body parts she could summon. She needed to be ready when he made his move. All her energy was focused for one precise, quick-speed materialization. "What's the matter? I thought you were eager to kill me!" The boy taunted, putting on a somewhat arrogant smirk as he brought the blade horizontally level to his face. "I was eager to eat you, you've gotten rid of the possibility of that." She corrected. "I hate having to work for my meals." She kept her focus on the pieces she could summon, eyes on him. "Come." He didn't need to be told twice. With another "Light Step", he was once again in front of the girl and swinging his blade once more. His slashes were aggressive, and the blade's patterns were irregular. Sometimes he would stick to swinging with one hand on the blade, and other times he would transfer to two, then back again. Other times, he would also blend his kicks into the mix just to throw her off-balance. If she attempted to flash away, he would simply chase her and continue attacking in his rather "berserker" fashion. He had come too fast for her to summon a new body feature to her side. Her only defence now was her own hard skin, which she had to use to deflect the blade as best she could. She kept using one arm to try and match his swings, but she could feel her defences wouldn't last long. She wasn't an Arrancar. Using her free arm, she reached to her sides, pulling out one of the daggers she had concealed in the shorts she wore. The boy's attacks were hitting other parts of her body, and her skin wouldn't be able to endure much longer. She jumped back with Sónido, despite knowing he would follow with his strange technique. "Onda Cero." She murmured, flowing her Cero through the dagger, which she slashed, releasing the Cero from the blade in a large wave. He vanished once more just before the Cero ''could hit him, resulting in it colliding with the obstacles of the buildings. He re-appeared behind her, continuing to press the assault on her person. She drew her second dagger, swinging both up simultaneously, an, by luck, meeting his blade with both of hers. She flowed Cero into both of them, and began to strike, pushing him back and then leaping forward, striking at his legs with her Cero-enhanced blades. ''"Ok, maybe I was wrong about her being weak in close quarters combat...." As his blade was batted aside by the two smaller ones of his enemy, he began to scowl in disdain at both her ability and his error in judgement. However, an opportunity had been presented to him when she lunged at his legs. By doing so, she had allowed herself to be vulnerable to a counter-attack from a blade above. He allowed himself to step back, swinging his sword and delivering a deep slice between her breasts before allowing himself to leap back to evade further action made against him. His blade dripped with blood, and his smirk, given the circumstances, was nothing but sadistic in nature. It was a surprise, being cut. Her skin has always served a defence before, to have it actually be cut was surprising. The pain was there, but the cut wasn't too deep. The defence her skin had was strong. She breathed in for a moment, before launching herself at him, her blades glowing with cero. As she moved forward, a Hollow arm shot down from above and behind, while two legs materialized to attack from either side. He would be cornered. It was then, right then and there, that death seemed to be imminent. But the boy did not falter, not even as her summon and her own being threw themselves at him. He continued to smile in his own dangerous manner, his blade lowered and his hand making no attempt to fend off the onslaught he was about to recieve. His eyes were narrowed into slits, the light of his pupils ripped away. He stood there, waiting for death to take him in. It didn't. Before all of those attacks could reach him, every one of them stopped in their tracks. It was not of his will that it happened.... but of hers. It was the very effect that his sword had on her, activated when the blade had sliced into the flesh. It was one of the abilities that would allow him to turn the tide of battle, one that would ultimately break his opponent from the inside out. He called it "Persona Falsification", and it had just been activated on his opponent's body. The affect? Out of fear of the very fact that they were fighting, she pulled back her attacks against her will. "W-what..." She could explain the sudden feeling she had, like this battle was something she shouldn't be doing, like having her life at risk was the most foolish thing she'd done. She felt like she needed to get out of here. But something was keeping her rooted to the spot. Fear of the man in front of her. "Like the ability?" The youth held the blade threateningly towards his target, the tip pointing straight towards her. "I call it "Persona Falsification". Once I cut a target, it allows me to slip in a personality trait of my choosing within their mindset. In your case, your affliction is the fear of battle, the dread of the consequences brought about once you initiate it. And so, you fear me because I am the one who continues to progress it. It's such an awful ability....." He leveled the blade so that the flat side was level with his face. "Don't you think?" Then, with another Light Step, he threw himself at her with immense speed. "That's what this is...?" She thought, still unable to bring herself to run or fight back. "Fear forcibly implanted?" As these thoughts flickered through her mind, she could only stand there as she waited for him to complete his attack. After 50 years, someone would finally kill her. And it would be a human. He swung down on her head. But his sword never made the target. To his surprise, he found a figure intercepting him, its hand grasping his own by the wrist and effectively stopping the attack, which was just a hair away from slicing the girl in the half. His eyes widened in shock, and he spun his head to fix a glare upon who did it; his partner. "The hell?!" He snapped, clearly not pleased about having his chance to kill ripped away from him. "This battle's over...." The elder man spoke coolly. "Even if you continue to fight, it's clear that she doesn't have the resolve anymore to fight back. She presents no threat to us in her current state. Let her go...." With that, he released his grip on the boy's wrist and moved back, earning a somewhat confused look. He turned back towards the girl, his confusion trading itself for a glare before he lowered his sword, acknowledging his partner's words. He moved back as well. "Let this be a lesson for you...." The boy said warningly, flipping his sword. With a sudden shift, it was back to its original form - the balisong knife. "Stay out of our business. Now get the fuck out of here." She didn't need telling twice, immediately vanishing from the spot where she stood. What was happening? This had never happened before, not as a Hollow, not in this shell of a body. For the first time in her life, she had been scared. No, scared was too light of a word. She had been terrified. Rooted to the spot. All because of one human. With the heat of battle gone, she was beginning to feel normal. But she didn't know whether the fear would crop back up. This is mad. The boy sheathed his knife within the safety of his pocket, placing a hand onto his hip and staring in irritation at the spot where she had usually been. "Geez...." He muttered, letting out a heavy sigh. "Nice body, but a ridiculous attitude. Seems like all women are out to get me all of a sudden...." He switched his gaze to the elder. "You know, this will just come back to bite us in the butt later on. You know that, right Ayatsuru? After all, there's always the possibility she'll get over that fear--" "I have my doubts...." Ayatsuru answered. "After all, something deeply enrooted within the mind is next to impossible to get rid off. At the very least, it'll be several years until she can get over her phobia....." He placed his hands within his pockets, moving himself back over towards they alleyway. "Now, with all the time that has passed in your little engagement, Mirai should be showing up soon...." "Right...."